Join Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Utah Department of Health and Human Services executive director Tracy Gruber, and leading experts as we examine the benefits and long-term impacts of safety net investments in children. Speakers will share where they see opportunities for progress and pinpoint areas for future research in the context of recent changes to the safety net for children, exploring opportunities at the federal and state levels.

This conference, hosted by the Urban Institute in collaboration with the Berkeley Opportunity Lab, will build on insights from the 2023 convening and 2024 convening and serve as a capstone to the Innovations in Cash Assistance for Children Initiative, a research and policy initiative aimed at delivering new evidence on how best to promote economic security for families with children. Researchers will provide a high-level overview of current research on the benefits of investing in children in terms of their well-being, parental labor supply, and how administrative burdens shape policy outcomes. The convening will also explore where there may be opportunities for policy movement, more research, or different political approaches.